THE HERMETICA: The Lost Wisdom of the Pharaohs

Written by Tim Freke & Peter Gandy

Read by Julian Brown.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7hrzOCxaIE?si=SNj8foGXDZM55GKt

INTRODUCTION

A FORGOTTEN SPIRITUAL CLASSIC

The Hermetica is a collection of writings attributed to Thoth or Tehuti — a mythical ancient African sage whose wisdom is said to have transformed him into a god.

Thoth, who was venerated in the African country of Egypt or Kemet from at least 3000 BCE, is credited with the invention of sacred hieroglyphic writing, and his figure, portrayed as a scribe with the head of an ibis, can be seen in many temples and tombs.

He is the dispatcher of divine messages and recorder of all human deeds. In the Great Hall of Judgment, the after-life court of the god Osiris, Thoth would establish whether the deceased had acquired spiritual knowledge and purity, and so deserved a place in the heavens.

Thoth was said to have revealed to the Egyptians all knowledge on astronomy, architecture, geometry, medicine and religion, and was believed by the ancient Greeks to be the architect of the pyramids.

The Greeks, who were in awe of the knowledge and spirituality of the Egyptians, identified Thoth with their own god Hermes, the messenger of the gods and guider of souls in the realm of the dead.

To distinguish the Egyptian Hermes from their own, they gave him the title 'Trismegistus', meaning 'Thrice-Great', to honour his sublime wisdom. The books attributed to him became collectively known as the 'Hermetica'.

Although largely unknown today, the writings attributed to Hermes/Thoth have been immensely important in the history of Western thought. They profoundly influenced the Greeks and, through their rediscovery in fifteenth-century Florence, helped to inspire the 'Renaissance' which gave birth to our modern age.

The list of people who have acknowledged a debt to the Hermetica reads like a 'Who's Who' of the greatest philosophers, scientists and artists that the West has produced — Leonardo da Vinci, Durer, Botticelli, Roger Bacon, Paracelsus, Thomas More, William Blake, Kepler, Copernicus, Isaac Newton, Sir Walter Raleigh, Milton, Ben Johnson, Daniel Defoe, Shelley and his wife Mary, Victor Hugo and Carl Jung.

It heavily influenced Shakespeare, John Donne, John Dee and all the poet-philosophers who surrounded the court of Queen Elizabeth I, as well as the founding scientists of the Royal Society in London, and even the leaders who inspired the Protestant Reformation in Europe.

The list is endless, with the Hermetica's influence reaching well beyond the frontiers of Europe. Islamic mystics and philosophers also trace their inspiration back to Thrice-Great Hermes, and the esoteric tradition of the Jews equated him with their mysterious prophet Enoch.

Like many Greek texts, the Hermetic teachings are often presented in the form of dialogues between teacher and pupil. The voices change in the different texts, which can be confusing, so we have chosen to avoid this device and simply present a monologue by Hermes addressed to the reader.

Although we have used the familiar term 'God' in the explanatory notes which accompany each chapter, we have avoided this term in the text itself. Instead we have used 'ATUM' — one of the ancient Egyptian names for the Supreme One-God.

We felt that using this unfamiliar Egyptian name would allow the reader the opportunity to build up their own conceptual picture of what Hermes means by the term, free of any associations they may have with the word 'God'.

It is a daunting task to present a new version of any work that is written in a foreign language and uses a distinct and unique conceptual vocabulary. Approaching a text which is also of extreme antiquity and has already been through the hands of a number of translators is doubly difficult.

In the ancient Egyptian language the sound of a word had a magical power which complemented its meaning — a view of language which we unconsciously retain when we talk of 'spelling' a word. Translation inevitably means that we have lost this original power and clarity.

Hermes teaches, however, that through the power of the mind all things are possible.

We have tried, through the power of contemplation which Hermes advocates, to distil the essence of his teachings for a new generation of spiritual seekers.

Although human culture has changed beyond recognition from the times of the ancient Egyptians, the essential mysteries of life have remained what they have always been and always will be.

For those alive to these mysteries, the writings of Hermes are as relevant today as they were in the distant past. We hope this new version captures as much as possible of the Hermetic vision, playing some small part in restoring to this ancient wisdom the respect that it is due.

THE LAST WORDS OF THRICE-GREAT HERMES

'Wise words,
although written
by my decaying hand,
remain imperishable
through time;
Imbued with the medicine
of immortality
by the All-Master.
Be unseen
and undiscovered
by all those
who will come and go,
wandering
the wastelands of life.
Be hidden,
until an older heaven
births human beings
who are worthy
of your wisdom.'

Having sounded this prayer
over the works of his hands,
Hermes was received
in the sanctuary of eternity.

CHAPTER ONE

THE PROPHECIES OF HERMES

In this chapter, Hermes describes the nature of pure philosophy but laments that in future generations it will become all but lost.

The philosophy that Hermes teaches is not just a clever intellectual exercise. It is about focussing the mind in deep meditation on ATUM (an ancient African/Egyptian name for God).

Such pure philosophy is about rising above mere opinions to experience directly the Mind of the Universe. Using the God-given gift of our own little minds, we can come to know the Big Mind that creates and maintains the Cosmos in beautiful order.

For Hermes, spiritual philosophy is not opposed to science, as it often is for us today. The student of spiritual philosophy studies science as a form of devotion to God. Through understanding the secrets of the natural world, he is overcome with a sense of AWE and REVERENCE for the Creator.

He appreciates the perfect order of the universe as if he were listening to a grand symphony in which every melody has been exquisitely combined to compose one magnificent harmony.

Hermes prophesies, however, that this spiritual philosophy will one day become lost and confused. Speaking from our distant past, he uncannily describes the predicament we find ourselves in today.

Pure philosophy has been replaced by the teachings of clever intellectuals with no mystical understanding of life. People have ceased to see the universe as a source of wonder, and no longer revere it as the work of God.

Spirituality has come to be dismissed by science as primitive superstition. The profound wisdom of the ancient Egyptians is thought of as a dead religion and as little more than an archaeological curiosity. Hermes foretells that Egypt, once the home of spirituality, will become a desolate place deserted by the gods.

Out of compassion for future generations, Hermes writes his wisdom in books and orders them to be hidden. Like a time capsule of truth, Hermes' vision waits for its chance to awaken future generations who are lost and bewildered by life.

People such as ourselves.

Thank goodness!
Now you're doing quite well by preaching your own religion, please keep it up.
At least you can also make disciples who will join you in whatever kind of worship you prefer!

THE PROPHECIES OF HERMES

Pure philosophy is spiritual striving,
through constant contemplation,
to attain True Knowledge
of Atum the One-God.

But, speaking now in prophecy,
I say that in times to come,
no one will pursue philosophy
with single-mindedness
and purity of heart.

Those with a grudging
and ungenerous temperament
will try and prevent men from discovering
the priceless gift of immortality.

Philosophy will become confused,
making it hard to comprehend.
It will be corrupted by spurious speculation.
It will be entangled with bewildering sciences
like arithmetic, music, and geometry.

The student of pure philosophy studies the sciences,
not as fanciful theories, but as devotion to Atum —
because they reveal a universe
perfectly ordered by the power of number;
because measuring the depths of the sea
and forces of fire
and magnitudes of physical things
leads to a reverent awe
at the Creator's skill and wisdom;
because the mysteries of music
bear witness to the unsurpassed talent
of the Supreme Artist
who has beautifully harmonised
all things into a single Whole,
suffused with sweet melodies.

To simply love Atum in thought
with singleness of heart,
and to follow the goodness of his will —
this is philosophy,
unsullied by intrusive cravings
for pointless opinions.

But I foresee that, in times to come,
clever intellectuals
will mislead the minds of men,
turning them away from pure philosophy.
It will be taught that
our sacred devotion was ineffectual
and the heart-felt piety
and assiduous service
with which we Egyptians honour Atum
was a waste without reward.

Egypt is an image of the heavens,
and the whole Cosmos dwells here,
in this sanctuary —
but the gods will desert the earth
and return to heaven,
abandoning this land
that was once the home of spirituality.
Egypt will be forsaken and desolate,
bereft of the presence of the gods.

It will be overrun by foreigners,
who will neglect our sacred ways.
This holy land of temples and shrines
will be filled with corpses and funerals.
The sacred Nile will be swollen with blood,
and her waters will rise,
utterly fouled with gore.

Does this make you weep?
There is worse to follow.
This land, that was a spiritual teacher
to all humankind,
which loved the gods with such devotion
that they deigned to sojourn
here on earth —
this land will exceed all others in cruelty.

The dead will far outnumber the living,
and the survivors
will be known as Egyptians
by their language alone,
for in their actions
they will be like men of another race.
O Egypt!

Nothing will remain of your religion
but an empty tale,
which even your own children
will not believe.

Nothing will be left
to tell of your wisdom
but old graven stones.

Men will be weary of life,
and will cease seeing the universe
as worthy of reverent wonder.

Spirituality, the greatest of all blessings,
will be threatened with extinction,
and believed a burden to be scorned.

The world will no longer be loved
as an incomparable work of Atum;
a glorious monument
to his Primal Goodness;
an instrument of the Divine Will
to evoke veneration
and praise in the beholder.

Egypt will be widowed.
Every sacred voice will be silenced.
Darkness will be preferred to light.

No eyes will raise to heaven.

The pure will be thought insane
and the impure will be honoured as wise.
The madman will be believed brave,
and the wicked esteemed as good.
Knowledge of the immortal soul
will be laughed at and denied.
No reverent words worthy of heaven
will be heard or believed.

So I, Thrice-Great Hermes,
the first of men
to attain All-Knowledge,
have inscribed the secrets of the gods,
in sacred symbols and holy hieroglyphs,
on these stone tablets,
which I have concealed
for a future world
that may seek our sacred wisdom.

Through the all-seeing Mind,
I myself have been the witness
of the invisible things of Heaven,
and through contemplation
come to Knowledge of the Truth.
This knowing I have set down in these
writings . . .

CHAPTER TWO

THE INITIATION OF HERMES

In this chapter, Hermes describes a mystical vision of the creation of the Cosmos, upon which all his later teachings are based.

Hermes derives his wisdom from a dramatic mystical revelation. While his mind is alert, yet still and empty, he hears God speaking to him. Hermes asks to be shown the true nature of reality, and suddenly everything begins to change before him.

In a mysterious vision, he witnesses the creation of the world. This vision is not meant to be understood intellectually but contemplated like images from a dream.

However, we can explore a little of its deep meaning.

Hermes' first experience is of an all-embracing divine Light, which as he watches casts a shadow like dark restless water. Later he is told that this Light is the Mind of God, and the dark waters are the unlimited potential out of which God will fashion the universe.

This is a mystical vision of the first act of creation, remarkably similar to the modern scientific theory of the Big Bang.

An explosion of light and energy slowly cools to become the black womb of space, into which suns, planets, and finally ourselves are born.

This birth, like any birth, is accompanied by pain, and Hermes hears an inarticulate cry of suffering from the turbulent depths. The Light then speaks a Word which calms the chaotic waters.

This Word is like a blueprint that will organise a structured cosmos out of the chaos. Modern science might call it the fundamental Laws of Nature.

This Word is the first idea in the Mind of God, from which everything springs.

The Bible also expresses this in St John 1vs1 -

"In the beginning was THE WORD, and THE WORD was with God, and THE WORD was God."

Initiated into the secrets of the creation Hermes receives his divine mission from the Supreme Being. Only this Knowledge he is told can save those who live in darkness.

Hermes must become a spiritual guide to all Mankind.

THE INITIATION OF HERMES

My senses were suspended in mystic sleep —
not a weary, full-fed drowsiness,
but an alert and conscious emptiness.
Released from my body,
I flew with my thoughts,
and while I soared, it seemed to me,
a vast and boundless Being called my name:
'Hermes, what are you looking for?'

'Who are you?' I asked.

'I am the Way-Guide, the Supreme Mind,
the thoughts of Atum the One-God.
I am with you — always and everywhere.
I know your desires.
Make your questions conscious,
and they will be answered.'

'Show me the nature of Reality.
Bless me with Knowledge of Atum,'
I begged.

Suddenly everything changed before me.
Reality was opened out in a moment.
I saw the boundless view.
All became dissolved in Light —
united within one joyous Love.

Yet the Light cast a shadow,
grim and terrible,
which, passing downwards,
became like restless water,
chaotically tossing forth spume like smoke.
And I heard an unspeakable lament —
an inarticulate cry of separation.
The Light then uttered a Word,
which calmed the chaotic waters.

My Guide asked:
'Do you understand the secrets of this vision?
I am that Light — the Mind of God,
which exists before
the chaotic dark waters of potentiality.
My calming Word is the Son of God —
the idea of beautiful order;
the harmony of all things with all things.

Primal Mind is parent of the Word,
just as, in your own experience,
your human mind gives birth to speech.

They cannot be divided, one from the other,
for life is the union of Mind and Word.
Now, fix your attention upon the Light,
and become One with it.'

When he had said this,
he looked into me,
Eye to Eye,
until, trembling, I saw in thought
limitless power within the Light,
to form an infinite yet ordered world —
and I was amazed.

I saw in the darkness of the deep,
chaotic water without form
permeated with a subtle intelligent breath
of divine power.

Atum's Word fell on the fertile waters
making them pregnant with all forms.
Ordered by the harmony of the Word,
the four elements came into being,
combining to create the brood of living creatures
The fiery element was articulated
as the constellations of the stars,
and the gods of the seven heavenly bodies,
revolving forever in celestial circles.

The Word then leapt up
from the elements of nature
and reunited with Mind the Maker,
leaving mere matter devoid of intelligence.

My Guide said:
'You have perceived the boundless primal idea,
which is before the beginning.

By Atum's will,
the elements of nature were born
as reflections of this primal thought
in the waters of potentiality.

These are the primary things;
the prior things;
the first principles of all in the universe.

Atum's Word is the creative idea —
the supreme limitless power
which nurtures and provides
for all the things
that through it are created.

I have shown you everything —
why do you wait?

Write the wisdom you have understood
in hieroglyphic characters,
carved on stone in the holy sanctuary.
Make yourself a spiritual guide
to those worthy of the gift of Knowledge,
so that, through you,
Atum may save humankind.'

I was overwhelmed with gratitude
to the All-Father who had graced me
with the supreme vision.
In awe and reverence I prayed,
'Please never let me fall away
from this Knowledge of your Being,
so that I may enlighten
those who are in darkness.'

Then, with his power in me,
I began to speak.

The aloof laughed at my words,
but others knelt at my feet.

I told them to stand
and receive the seeds of wisdom,
which I will sow in you
with these teachings.

So, listen, men of clay.
If you do not pay keen attention,
my words will fly past you,
and wing their way back to the source
from which they come.

CHAPTER THREE

THE BEING OF ATUM

In this chapter, Hermes attempts to describe God (Atum). Although God cannot be defined with words, Hermes gives some clues for us to contemplate.

God is Oneness.

Everything is a part of one Supreme Being.

Like the number one, which is the source of all subsequent numbers, God is the source of all. Yet just as when the number one is divided or multiplied by itself it remains one, so God constantly remains the Oneness.

Because he unites everything, his nature is paradoxical. He is the creator who creates himself. He is always hidden from us, yet he is also the world around us.

He has no particular name because all names refer to him.

God is the Supreme Mind. He is everywhere and always.

The human mind is an image of the Supreme Mind.

Through the power of the imagination, it can roam the universe and be, like God, in all times and all places.

Hermes tells us that if we truly understood the extraordinary power of the human mind, we would then know the nature of God.

Everything exists as an idea within the Mind of God.

He creates all things, in the same way that our own minds create thoughts. Just as the nature of the mind is to think, so the nature of God is to create. This is not something he did at the beginning of time.

He is doing it continuously.

God is 'constantly creating creation', and will never stop.

God is both the material objects around us and the immaterial thoughts in our minds. The world we see and sense is an illusion, however, compared to the great ideas which only exist in the mind.

Above all are the ideas of Goodness and Beauty. These qualities belong to God alone.

They can at best be found imperfectly in the material world, but exist in all their perfection in the immaterial world of the mind. They are so perfect that God is in love with them. God is in love with himself.

THE BEING OF ATUM

Give me your whole awareness,
and concentrate your thoughts,
for Knowledge of Atum's Being
requires deep insight,
which comes only as a gift of grace.

It is like a plunging torrent of water
whose swiftness outstrips any man
who strives to follow it,
leaving behind not only the hearer,
but even the teacher himself.

To conceive of Atum is difficult.
To define him is impossible.
The imperfect and impermanent
cannot easily apprehend
the eternally perfected.

Atum is whole and constant.
In himself he is motionless,
yet he is self-moving.

He is immaculate,
incorruptible, and ever-lasting.
He is the Supreme Absolute Reality.
He is filled with ideas
which are imperceptible to the senses,
and with all-embracing Knowledge.

Atum is Primal Mind.

He is too great
to be called by the name 'Atum'.
He is hidden,
yet obvious everywhere.
His Being is known through thought alone,
yet we see his form before our eyes.
He is bodiless,
yet embodied in everything.
There is nothing which he is not.
He has no name,
because all names are his name.
He is the unity in all things,
so we must know him by all names
and call everything 'Atum'.

He is the root and source of all.

Everything has a source,
except this source itself,
which springs from nothing.
Atum is complete like the number one,
which remains itself
whether multiplied or divided,
and yet generates all numbers.

Atum is the Whole
which contains everything.
He is One, not two.
He is All, not many.
The All is not many separate things,
but the Oneness that subsumes the parts.
The All and the One are identical.

You think that things are many
when you view them as separate,
but when you see they all hang on the One,
and flow from the One,
you will realise they are united —
linked together,
and connected by a chain of Being
from the highest to the lowest,
all subject to the will of Atum.

The Cosmos is one as the sun is one,
the moon is one and the Earth is one.

Do you think there are many Gods?
That's absurd — God is one.

Atum alone is the Creator
of all that is immortal,
and all that is mutable.
If that seems incredible, just consider yourself.

You see, speak, hear, touch,
taste, walk, think, and breathe.
It is not a different you
who does these various things,
but one being who does them all.

To understand how Atum makes all things,
consider a farmer sowing seeds;
here wheat — there barley,
now planting a vine — then an apple tree.
Just as the same man plants all these seeds,
so Atum sows immortality in heaven
and change on Earth.

Throughout the Cosmos
he disseminates Life and movement —
the two great elements
that comprise Atum and his creation,
and so everything that is.

Atum is called[b] 'Father'[/b]
because he begets all things,
and, from his example,
the wise hold begetting children
the most sacred pursuit of human life.

Atum works with Nature,
within the laws of Necessity,
causing extinction and renewal,
constantly creating creation
to display his wisdom.

Yet, the things that the eye can see
are mere phantoms and illusions.
Only those things invisible to the eye are real.
Above all are the ideas of Beauty and Goodness.

Just as the eye cannot see the Being of Atum,
so it cannot see these great ideas.
They are attributes of Atum alone,
and are inseparable from him.
They are so perfect without blemish
that Atum himself is in love with them.

There is nothing which Atum lacks,
so nothing that he desires.
There is nothing that Atum can lose,
so nothing can cause him grief.

Atum is everything.
Atum makes everything,
and everything is a part of Atum.
Atum, therefore, makes himself.

This is Atum's glory — he is all-creative,
and this creating is his very Being.
It is impossible for him ever to stop creating —
for Atum can never cease to be.

Atum is everywhere.
Mind cannot be enclosed,
because everything exists within Mind.
Nothing is so quick and powerful.

Just look at your own experience.
Imagine yourself in any foreign land,
and quick as your intention
you will be there!
Think of the ocean — and there you are.
You have not moved as things move,
but you have traveled, nevertheless.
Fly up into the heavens —
you won't need wings!
Nothing can obstruct you —
not the burning heat of the sun,
or the swirling planets.

Pass on to the limits of creation.

Do you want to break out
beyond the boundaries of the Cosmos?
For your mind, even that is possible.
Can you sense what power you possess?

If you can do all this,
then what about your Creator?
Try and understand that Atum is Mind.
This is how he contains the Cosmos.

All things are thoughts
which the Creator thinks.

CHAPTER FOUR

CONTEMPLATE CREATION

In this chapter, Hermes teaches us how to see God by contemplating his creation.

When we look at the world only with our physical eyes, God is nowhere to be seen. But if we look with our thoughts, we see with spiritual understanding.

Suddenly God is everywhere.

In this ecstatic state everything we see and touch is known to be a part of God, and we understand that God's whole purpose in creating the world was so that through it we could see him.

The Cosmos is his body, and we can come to know him by contemplating its extraordinary order and beauty. Hermes asks us to consider the constant revolutions of the stars in the night sky; the laws of fate, which he calls Necessity; the goodness of everything that has happened and is happening. Could this all be so perfect without a Supreme Mind which maintains such exquisite order? Could it all just be happening accidentally?

He reminds us of the marvel of our own birth. Who created us in the womb? Who perfectly crafted the individual details of our bodies? Statues and portraits don't just happen, they are sculpted and painted. Surely such a work of art as beautiful and complex as our own physical forms must be the work of a master craftsman? The modern view is that we are a creation of the laws of nature. Hermes would not disagree with this; he would simply ask, 'Who decreed these laws?'

He is trying to return us to a childlike sense of awe in the face of the wonders of life.

The world is a miracle, yet we take it for granted.

If we take the time to reflect, it becomes obvious that we are surrounded by profound mysteries. The universe is a gigantic work of art, signed by an unknown master.

Humble amazement is a prerequisite for coming to know God.

CONTEMPLATE CREATION

Ask Atum
to flash a ray of his illumination
into your awareness,
giving you the power
to grasp in thought
his sublime Being.
For the invisible
may only be seen with thoughts —
which are themselves invisible.

If you can't see thoughts,
do you expect to see Atum?
Look with your mind, however,
and he will appear to you,
manifesting himself without reservation
throughout the whole universe,
so that you may see his image with your eyes
and hold it with your two hands.

Do you think Atum is invisible?
Don't say that!
Nothing is more visible than Atum.
He created all things so that through them
you could see him.

This is Atum's Great Heart —
that he manifests himself in everything.
Everything can be known,
including the insubstantial.
Just as Mind is known through thoughts,
so Atum is known through his creation.

Atum is the all-encompassing author of entirety,
weaving everything into the fabric of reality.
Because creation is visible,
we can see the Creator,
and this is the purpose of his creation.
Since he is always creating,
he can always be seen,
so we should think and marvel,
and realise that we are blessed
with Knowledge of our Father.

To know Atum's Being,
contemplate him in thought.
To see him with your eyes,
look at the exquisite order of the Cosmos;
the Necessity which governs
everything you perceive;
the Goodness of all that has been,
and that is coming to be.
Look at matter filled full with Life,
and see Atum
pulsating with all he contains.

Contemplate the Cosmos
as his ancient body,
which is ever prime and new.
See the planets circling in eternal time.
See the spiritual fire of the heavens
turned to light by the sun
and shed as Goodness upon the world.
See the ever-changing moon,
which governs birth, growth, and decay.
See the constellation of the Bear
which never rises or sets,
but stays ever a fixed point —
an axle around which
the circle of the Zodiac revolves.
See the comets
which are called 'Prophet Stars',
for when some future fate awaits the world
they emerge for a few days,
from their invisible home
below the circle of the sun.

Who is it that maintains such exquisite order?

The sun is the greatest god in the heavens —
a king to whom all the others pay homage.
Yet, this mighty god humbly submits
to have smaller stars circle above him.

Who is it that he obeys with awe?

Each star travels its appointed range of space.
Why don't all stars run the same course?
Who is it who has assigned to each its place?
The Bear revolves around herself
and carries around with her the whole Cosmos.

Who is it that appointed her this task?

Who is it that fixed the Earth,
and confined the sea within its shores?

Someone must be the maker and master of all this
It couldn't just happen.
All order must be created.
It is only that which is out of measure
which is accidental.
Yet even disorder is subject to the Master,
who has yet to impose order upon it.

If only it were possible to grow wings
and soar into the air —
poised between heaven and Earth,
you would see the solid ground,
the flowing rivers, the wandering air,
the penetrating fire, the circling stars,
and the encompassing heavens.
What joy to see all this,
borne along by the one impulse —
to perceive the unmoved mover
moving in all that moves.
He who is hidden,
manifest through all his works.

Consider for a moment,
how you were created in the womb.
Think of that skilful workmanship,
and look for the craftsman
who made such a beautiful God-like image.
Who traced the circles of your eyes?
Who pierced your nostrils, ears and mouth?
Who stretched your sinews and tied them fast?
Who built your bones
and wrapped your flesh with skin?
Who separated your fingers
and flattened your feet?
Who shaped your heart
and hollowed your lungs?
Who made your beauty visible,
and concealed your guts within?
How many crafts have been employed,
and how many works of art created
to form one human being?

Statues or portraits don't just happen
without a sculptor or painter.

Has such a sublime work no creator?

CHAPTER FIVE

THE LIVING COSMOS

In this chapter Hermes succinctly outlines the essence of his philosophical ideas, and paints the picture of the Cosmos as a living being, teeming with life.

In the beginning there is unity. Unity separates into two fundamental forces, which like the negative and positive poles of a battery, generate everything. Hermes describes them as Light and Life, which become Mind and Soul. We experience them as thoughts and feelings.

The Oneness of God is both Light and Life. These two forces are the parents of the Mind of the Cosmos. This was experienced by Hermes in his original mystical vision as the 'Word' which calmed the dark waters — the fundamental laws of nature which bring order to the chaos.

The physical Cosmos is a perfect reflection of this ordering principle — the Mind of the Cosmos. The Mind of the Cosmos (the Word) is in turn a reflection of God, just as a spoken word reflects the intention of its speaker. Since God is All-Goodness, the Cosmos is therefore also Good.

Because the Cosmos is made in the image of its Creator it too is an immortal living being. It is therefore impossible that any part of it can be dead. At its conception it was filled with energy, which as modern science has now proved can neither be created or destroyed.

In Physics, this is called the first law of thermodynamics which states that "energy can neither be created nor destroyed but can only chnage from one form to another."

Unlike the myriad forms that it passes through, energy itself is immortal.

God is the source of this energy which, through the laws of Nature, creates life. The Cosmic Mind receives energy from God and gives it to all the things within the Cosmos. Through this process, the Cosmos is completely saturated with Soul — the Life-Force.

Everything in it is alive. Nothing is dead, not even so called inanimate things. The Cosmos is a great living being which in turn gives Life to all the lesser beings it contains. It is the whole which nourishes its parts, like a parent caring for its children.

THE LIVING COSMOS

The Primal Mind,
which is Life and Light,
being bisexual,
gave birth to the Mind of the Cosmos.

The Primal Mind is ever unmoving,
eternal and changeless,
containing within it this Cosmic Mind
which is imperceptible to the senses.

The Cosmos which sense perceives
is a copy and image
of this eternal Cosmic Mind,
like a reflection in a mirror.

First of all
and without beginning is Atum.
Second is the Cosmos,
made in his likeness.
As the Cosmos is a second god,
it is also an immortal being,
and because every thing in the Cosmos
is a part of the Cosmos,
it is impossible that any part of it should die.

The Cosmos is all Life.
From its first foundations
there has never existed a single thing
which was not alive.
There is not,
and has never been,
and never will be,
anything in the Cosmos that is dead.

Atum is Light —
the everlasting source of Energy,
the eternal dispenser of Life Itself.
Once Energy has been dispensed,
its supply is governed by eternal cosmic laws.

The Cosmos has its being
within the Eternal Energy
from which all Life issues,
so it is impossible for it ever to stop
or be destroyed.

It is contained and bound together
by the Eternal Life-Force.
The Cosmos dispenses this Life
to all the things within it.
It has a twofold movement —
Energy is infused into the Cosmos from Eternity and it in turn infuses Life into all things within it.

Mind and Soul
are manifestations of Light and Life.
Everything moves by the power of Soul.
The body of the Cosmos,
within which all bodies are contained,
is completely saturated with Soul.

Soul is entirely illuminated by Mind.
Mind is totally permeated by Atum.
Soul fills and encompasses
the whole body of the Cosmos.

It gives Life
to the great and perfect living creature
which is the Cosmos,
which in turn gives Life
to all the lesser living creatures it contains.

The Cosmos is the whole
which generates and nourishes the parts,
like a parent caring for its children.
It receives its supply of Goodness from Atum,
and it is this Goodness
which is the true power of creation.

The Cosmos is the image of Atum,
and since Atum is All-Goodness,
the Cosmos is also Good.

Wisdom that couldn't stop Egypt from being decimated by Greece, Babylon or even Rome.

Any wisdom aside Jesus, who is the wisdom of God, is a counterfeit wisdom

CHAPTER SIX

THE CIRCLE OF TIME

In this chapter, Hermes explores the nature of time and change.

Everything in the Cosmos is constantly changing. Things are born, pass away, and come into existence again, like old plants dying each winter to return as new shoots each spring. All these changes, however, are governed by unchanging natural laws. In this way, therefore, it could also be said that the Cosmos is essentially changeless.

Time regulates the natural processes of change in the Cosmos. It is measured by the recurring cycles of the stars and the sun, which revolve in fixed and permanent orbits.

Unlike our modern picture of time as a straight line from the past to the future, Hermes sees time as a circle.

We too actually measure time in circles, however. A day is a circle of time which begins again when the sun rises each morning. The year is a circle of time measured by the Earth's orbit around the sun.

Vaster circles of time are expressed by the movements of the constellations of the stars. All of these cycles eventually bring things back to where they started. It is impossible to say where that is, however, for a circle has no starting point — you cannot say where it begins and where it ends.

Hermes ultimately points to a deeper understanding of time. The past has gone and does not exist. The future has yet to happen and does not exist. The present moment passes so quickly that it has no permanence. Before we have even said 'now', the moment has gone. We can never catch the present, so in what way could it be said to exist?

This mystical insight into the illusory nature of time is a way to glimpse the Oneness of God, who exists beyond time.

For God, there is no past, present, and future — only eternity.

Freeing ourselves from the illusion of time is yet another way we can experience God.

THE CIRCLE OF TIME

In a sense, the Cosmos is changeless,
because its motions are determined
by unalterable laws
which cause it to revolve eternally
without beginning and end.
Its parts manifest, disappear
and are created anew,
again and again
in the undulating pulse of time.

Through the process of time,
life within the Cosmos
is regulated and maintained.
Time renews all things in the Cosmos,
by the circling process of change,
measured by the heavenly bodies
returning to their former positions
as they revolve around the heavens.

The present issues from the past,
and the future from the present.
Everything is made one by this continuity.

Time is like a circle,
where all the points are so linked
that you cannot say
where it begins or ends,
for all points both precede
and follow one another forever.

Yet, there is an even deeper understanding.
The past has departed and no longer is.
The future has not arrived and is yet to be.
Even the present does not last,
so how can it be said to exist,
when it doesn't stay still for a moment?

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE GODS

In this chapter, Hermes discusses the many powers through which God administers creation.

To the ancient Egyptians the night sky was seen as the body of the black goddess sprinkled with stars.

In the Hermetica she is known as the great goddess Destiny, whose unalterable laws are written in the unchanging star-fields of the constellations. Against the background of these stars circle the planets, ruled by the great goddess they administer her fate to all things upon the Earth.

Although the constellations of the stars contain the Destiny of everything, the five visible planets and the sun and moon are the forces which administer this Destiny.

Hermes therefore calls these powers 'gods'.

Destiny, working through the planetary gods, governs all of creation. They pour an uninterrupted stream of Life-force into all forms of matter, making them ceaselessly change from one state to another in a process we call living and dying.

The gods are ruled by the goddess Destiny who makes sure that all they do accords with God's will. The god Ra is the sun which sends down energy to the Earth. Whilst God is the hidden Light which cannot be seen with the physical eyes because it is pure energy, Ra is the visible light placed at the centre of our solar system.

The sun is an image of God, and as God gives Life to the whole universe, so the sun gives life to the animals and plants of the Earth. The light of the sun nurtures nature in the same way that the Light of God nurtures our souls.

THE GODS

The Mind of the Cosmos
created from fire and air
the seven administrators
who regulate Destiny —
the five visible planets
and the sun and moon
whose orbits encompass
the world of the senses.

These five visible planets are Mecury, Venus, Earth, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter

These celestial powers,
known by thought alone,
are called the gods,
and they preside over the world.

They are ruled over by the goddess Destiny,
who transforms everything
according to the law of natural growth,
creating from the permanent
unchanging Reality,
a permanently changing world.

The heavenly bodies
are governed by Atum,
and from them flows into matter
an uninterrupted stream of Soul.

Matter is like a fertile womb
within which all things are conceived.
All forms shape matter
and Soul-Energy ceaselessly changes them —
one into another.

This process is directed by Atum
who infuses each form with Soul
in proportion to its standing
in the scale of Being.

The Earth is the storehouse of all matter,
which it donates and, in return,
it receives Life from above.

Ra, the sun, unites heaven and Earth,
sending down Energy from above
and raising up matter from below.
He draws Life to himself
and gives forth Life from himself —
ceaselessly lavishing light on all.

Ra benefits not only heaven,
but even the hidden depths of the Earth.
Unlike Atum, the hidden Light,
who is only known in thought
through attentive contemplation,
Ra exists in space and time,
and we may see him with our eyes,
shinning the brightest in the Cosmos.

Placed in the centre
and wearing the Cosmos
like a wreath around him,
he lights up above and below.
He lets the Cosmos go on its way,
but never lets it wander,
for, like a skilful chariot driver,
Ra has tied the Cosmos to him,
preventing it rushing off in disorder —
and his controlling reins are rays of light.

The sun or "son" is an image of the Creator
who is higher than the heavens.

Just as that supreme Creator
gave Life to the whole universe,
Ra gives Life
to the animals and plants.

His material body
is the source of visible light,
and, if there be such a thing as a substance
not perceptible to the senses,
the light of the sun
must contain that substance.
Yet what it is or how it flows —
only Atum knows.

The sun continuously pours forth Light and Life. Ra nurtures all vegetation,
gathering the first fruits
produced by the power of his rays,
as if in his mighty hands,
bringing out sweet perfumes from the plants.

In the same way,
our souls, like heavenly flowers,
are nurtured by the Light of Atum's wisdom,
and in return,
we should use in his service
all that grows within us.

Jokerman:
Wisdom that couldn't stop Egypt from being decimated by Greece, Babylon or even Rome.

You're right, the ancient African country of Kemet or Egypt was "decimated" by Greece and Rome but please get your history right.

I agree that the Babylonian & Median Army led by Nebuchadnezzar II defeated the forces of Egypt and Assyria at the balttle of Carchemish.

But there is no historical record that proves Babylon "decimated" Egypt.

But I digress.

Everything rises and falls - this is a constant for every civilization to have ever existed, so ancient Kemet was not any different.

But even though Kemet was destroyed, her wisdom was never destroyed, it only changed form from one civilization to the next.

Any wisdom aside Jesus, who is the wisdom of God, is a counterfeit wisdom

Well, history proves otherwise.

Have you heard of the Dark Ages?

According to study(dot)com:

"Characteristics of the Dark or Middle Ages include the expression of feudalism and the strengthening of the church and state relationship, with Catholicism spreading throughout Europe.

The MIddle Ages also witness the Crusades, as well as the Black Death Plague, which killed millions of people."

If I may ask, upon what" wisdom" was the Roman Catholic Church built?

Was it not built upon the wisdom of Jesus?

So why did the Church built upon the wisdom of Jesus, give us the dark ages?

History has shown us with evidence that it was the rediscovery of the Hermetica - The Wisdom from Ancient Egypt that triggered the Renaissance or rebirth.

Here is what the encyclopedia Britannica says -

Renaissance, period in European civilization immediately following the Middle Ages and conventionally held to have been characterized by a surge of interest in Classical scholarship and values.

The Renaissance also witnessed the discovery and exploration of new continents, the substitution of the Copernican for the Ptolemaic system of astronomy, the decline of the feudal system and the growth of commerce, and the invention or application of such potentially powerful innovations as paper, printing, the mariner’s compass, and gunpowder.

To the scholars and thinkers of the day, however, it was primarily a time of the revival of Classical learning and wisdom after a long period of cultural decline and stagnation.

Just saying...

all the gods of the nations are idols (empty and vain).

Psalms 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

See the dead philosophy, it is always the same stupidity. The summary of the garbage is that human being are divine the so called messenger is only a guide to self discovery. Its all about self discovery garbage.

Satan allways want to tell people what they like not the truth, seeking truth from demons or is like searching for light in darkness all such a fool get is more darkness.

1 Corinthians 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Inspite of the increase of knowledge things are going from bad to worse, there is no other way apart from Jesus christ.


Repent and believe in Jesus christ, God is going to destroy this world with all her glory and splendor.

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE HIERARCHY OF CREATION

In this chapter, Hermes summarises his teachings on how God creates and maintains the Cosmos and all it contains.

God creates an ordering principle — the Mind of the Cosmos.

This ordering principle continually organises chaotic matter into a beautifully ordered physical Cosmos. Time is one of the principles by which the Cosmos is ordered. The existence of time means that everything within the Cosmos is constantly changing, but in a measured way.

God is the Goodness that creates Life. The Mind of the Cosmos is the fundamental laws of nature — the permanent and unchanging principles which govern Life. The physical Cosmos is the beautiful order of nature within which Life exists. Time is the governing principle of the Cosmos which produces change. Constant change is the process of everything living and dying.

The Cosmic Mind is an idea expressed by the Mind of God. The physical Cosmos is a thought expressed by the Mind of the Cosmos.

At the heart of the Cosmos is the life-giving sun which is an image of the life-giving soul at the heart of every person.

This concept is quite similar to what Paul said in Phillipains 2 vs 13 - "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

THE HIERARCHY OF CREATION

Atum creates the Cosmic Mind.
The Cosmic Mind creates the Cosmos.
The Cosmos creates Time.
Time creates Change.

The essence of Atum
is Primal Goodness.
The essence of the Cosmic Mind
is permanent sameness.
The essence of the Cosmos
is beautiful order.
The essence of Time
is movement.
The essence of Change is Life.

Atum works
through Mind and Soul.
The Cosmic Mind works
through immortality and duration.
The Cosmos works
through turning and returning.
Time works
through increase and decrease.
Change works
through quality and quantity.

The Cosmic Mind is in Atum.
The Cosmos is in Eternity.
Time is in the Cosmos.
Change is in Time.

The Cosmic Mind
is permanently connected to Atum.
The Cosmos is made up of thoughts
in the Cosmic Mind.

The Cosmic Mind is an image of Atum.
The Cosmos is an image of the Cosmic Mind.
The sun is an image of the Cosmos.
Man is an image of the sun.

CHAPTER NINE

THE CREATION OF HUMANKIND

Having discussed the principles by which God created the Cosmos, in this chapter Hermes describes the making of mankind.

God created humankind because he wanted there to be a creature capable of appreciating the great beauty of his Cosmos.

He asks each of the gods who administer the Cosmos to provide something to benefit humanity. The sun gives joy. The moon gives sleep. Saturn offers the limits of necessity and the balancing force of justice. Jupiter gives peace and Mars gives struggle. Venus offers love and Mercury wisdom.

When God hears what the gods will offer, he thinks humankind into existence. At first, humanity is just a thought — a soul. It is unable to tend and look after the Earth as God wishes, so God gives each human a mortal body within which to house the immortal soul.

To do this he first creates Nature. She is like a beautiful woman, and God makes her mistress of the world. She produces the seeds of natural life. Seeing in the human soul an image of God, Nature falls in love and merges with her beloved. This is the blending of body and soul which produces each one of us.

Hence all human beings have a dual nature, being a combination of an immortal soul and a mortal body. We honour both sides of our nature when we serve God by administering the natural world for him.

Finally, God gives humankind a last great gift — the ability to reproduce. More than this, he makes the process a holy loving sacrament which reflects the marriage of matter and spirit that creates the Cosmos.

The sacred bond of love unites man and woman together, so that they may share their essential qualities with each other.

THE CREATION OF HUMANKIND

When the Creator,
who, for want of a better name,
we call 'Atum',
had made the 'second god',
which is the Cosmos,
he was pleased.
His creation was beautiful,
and wholly filled with goodness,
and he loved it like his child.

In his kindness,
Atum wished for there to be a creature
capable of appreciating
the beauty of his creation.
So, by an act of will,
he created humankind,
to be an imitator of his divine wisdom
and nurturing love.

Atum asked each heavenly god in turn,
'What can you provide for humanity,
which I am about to create?'
The sun said it would shine all day,
providing laughter as a source of joy
for both mortal minds
and the boundless universe itself.
The moon promised sleep and silence,
and to shine by night.
Saturn offered justice and necessity.
Jupiter gave peace and Mars struggle.
Venus proffered love and pleasure.
Mercury, who is also called Hermes,
said: 'I will make humankind intelligent.
I will convey to them wisdom
and Knowledge of the Truth.
I will never cease to benefit all humanity.'

Atum was glad when he heard these words
and gave the command
that man should come into being.

Mind, the All-Father,
who is Life and Light,
gave birth to humanity,
which bore his own image,
and he took delight in his offspring.

Joined to the gods by a sense of kinship,
humanity worshipped them
with piety and holy thoughts,
while, for their part,
the gods watch over humankind
with concern and loving mercy.

At first, man was solely eternal and spiritual,
but Atum saw that his new creation
could not tend the Earth
unless he sheltered him in a material envelope —
giving man a mortal body
as well as an immortal soul.

So, Atum bade Nature be,
and from his voice came a woman's form,
so lovely that the gods
were smitten with her beauty.
Atum made Nature the mistress of the world.
She communed with herself,
producing all kinds of seeds
which Atum took hold of with his hands
and scattered over the Earth,
who is the mother of all worldly things.
Seeing in man a beautiful image of Atum,
Nature was filled with insatiable love.

She clasped him to her,
and they merged to become one in love.
Mortal and eternal blended and mingled
so that Man may perform the demands
of both sources of his nature.

Firstly, to serve God —
venerating and praising the things of heaven.
Secondly, to assist
and administer the things of Earth,
by tilling the soil, navigating the waters,
building on the land,
and by serving each other —
that strongest of bonds
that links the human race together.

Then Atum,
the master of generation,
bestowed on humankind
the sacrament of reproduction —
full of affection and joy,
gladness and yearning,
and all the heavenly love that is his Being.

I would have to explain the nature
of this compelling sacred bond
that binds a man and woman together,
were it not that each one of us,
if we explore our innermost feelings,
can experience it for ourselves.
Contemplate that supreme moment,
when each sex infuses itself with the other.

One giving forth
and the other eagerly embracing.
At that moment,
through the intermingling of the two natures,
the female acquires male vigour,
and the male is relaxed in female languor.
This sweet sacramental act we celebrate
is shared in secret,
because if performed openly
before impure eyes,
the ignorant may mock
and the divine power
manifesting in both sexes
will shy away.

Steep:
all the gods of the nations are idols (empty and vain).

Psalms 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

Ignorance is our greatest undoing as a species.

Who is talking about multiple gods?

Did you even read any of the information I have shared so far?

The ancient African Egyptians called God - ATUM - which means THE EVERYTHING or THE ALL

Is that wrong information?

Is God not THE ALL?

Is God not the source of EVERYTHING?

Did you not notice in chapter 3 where Tehuti said this -

Do you think there are many Gods?
That's absurd — God is one.

See the dead philosophy, it is always the same stupidity. The summary of the garbage is that human being are divine the so called messenger is only a guide to self discovery. Its all about self discovery garbage.

If we follow your argument, this means that the words of Jesus in the Bible are garbage.

For in the Bible, Jesus himself said this in

John 10 vs 34 - "Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are "gods"'?

If you agree that God the Father is divine and we are made in his image, does it not also mean that as his children we are also divine?

This is the simple message our ancient African forefathers in ancient Kemet were trying to pass and the message Jesus passed in the Gospels.

Satan allways want to tell people what they like not the truth, seeking truth from demons or is like searching for light in darkness all such a fool get is more darkness.

Light is not ignorant.

Light doesn't hide information.

Why don't you want Africans to learn about their ancient history?

Let me enlighten you a little -

Do you remember in secondary school mathematics when we were taught the "PYTHAGORAS THEOREM"?

The theorem was developed by Pythagoras an ancient Greek philosopher.

Do you know where he first acquired the concept?

Pythagoras spent 22 years in ancient Egypt learning from your African ancestors - do your research, the evidence is there.

But yet, in the face of all this evidence, you call the ancient knowledge of your African forefathers "demonic"

CHAPTER TEN

THE BIRTH OF HUMAN CULTURE

In this chapter, Hermes describes how human beings became civilized and created culture, under the guidance of the god Osiris and goddess Isis.

As human beings slowly awoke to their surroundings, they looked around at their new home and gazed on the creation in awe and wonder. Looking upon the perfection of the Cosmos humanity felt the need to share in the pleasure of creativity. The Creator therefore ordered each of the planetary gods to share with mankind a part of their creative power.

The Hermetica teaches that the universe will not be finished until mankind has played his part in the story. The arts and sciences invented by humanity complete the grand plan of Destiny, art completes what nature cannot finish. All those who cooperate with the will of the Creator apply their skill and knowledge to enhance the beauty of the Cosmos.

The ancient Egyptians believed that all the knowledge necessary for humanity's survival on Earth had been taught to their ancestors by Isis and Osiris.

The goddess Isis taught people the arts of sowing and animal husbandry ensuring that they did not starve, and she showed them the healing uses of herbs and medicine to care for the body. She taught people respect for the dead, how to wrap their bodies in bandages soaked in oil and spices, and how to care for their memories with offerings of fruits and flowers.

Osiris gave people laws and justice and instituted the rites of worship that kept men humble and honest. He ordained the first priests who were trained to nurture men's souls through the proper use of philosophy and learning.

Together these parents of the human race were believed by the ancient Egyptians to have lifted their ancestors out of savagery.

In life, Isis continued to look after humanity, and Osiris the 'Lord of Souls' watched over the spirits of the dead. They were worshipped for thousands of years at temples all over Egypt until late Roman times.

THE BIRTH OF HUMAN CULTURE

Humanity looked in awe
upon the beauty
and everlasting duration of creation.
The exquisite sky flooded with sunlight.
The majesty of the dark night,
lit by celestial torches
as the holy planetary powers
trace their paths in the heavens
in fixed and steady metre —
ordering the growth of things
with their secret infusions.

Men looked with wonder and questioning,
and, having observed the Maker's masterpiece,
wanted to create things for themselves.
Their Father gave permission,
so the gods who administer the Cosmos
each shared with humanity a part of their power.

Since the world is Atum's handiwork,
those who maintain and enhance its beauty
are cooperating with the will of Atum
by contributing their bodily strength
in daily care and labour
to make things assume the shape
which his purpose has designed.

Chance is movement without order,
and skill is the force which creates order.
The Earth is kept in order
by means of humanity's knowledge
and application of the arts and sciences —
for Atum willed that the universe
should not be complete
until man had played his part.

Atum, the fabricator of the Cosmos,
graced the Earth for a little time
with our great father Osiris
and the great goddess Isis,
that they might give us
the help we so much needed.
They brought humanity divine religion
and stopped the savagery
of mutual slaughter.
They established rites of worship,
in correspondence to the sacred powers
of the heavens.

They consecrated temples,
and instituted sacrificial offerings to the gods
that were their ancestors.
They gave the gifts of food and shelter.
They taught men to swathe
the decaying corpses of the dead.

Having learnt Atum's secret laws,
they became lawgivers to humankind.
They introduced the mighty god of oaths
as founder of pledges and good faith,
and so filled the world with justice.

They devised the initiation and training
of the prophet-priests,
so that through philosophy
they might nurture men's souls,
and cure sickness of the body
with the healing arts.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MAN IS A MARVEL

In this chapter, Hermes discusses the nature of mankind and its special relationship with God.

God, the Cosmos, and man are the three great beings. The Cosmos is an image of God, and man is an image of the Cosmos. Each is made up of many parts, yet each is greater than the sum of these parts.

Man was created to be a vehicle through which God could continue to bring order and beauty to the Cosmos. All beings have Soul — the Life-Force — within them. But only human beings possess the power of Mind, with which we can contemplate the Cosmos and come to know God.

Human beings are the meeting place of spirit and matter. We have, therefore, a dual nature. We are Mind enclosed by a physical body.

The human mind is an image of God's Mind — it is immortal, eternal, divine, and free. The human body, on the other hand, is mortal and controlled by the laws of Destiny which are governed by the stars.

Hermes dares to suggest that this unique dual nature even places human beings above the gods. The gods — the heavenly bodies — are confined within their permanent orbits in the heavens, and will never move beyond them.

A human being, however, may both be on the Earth and, through the power of his mind, ascend to the heavens. In the twentieth century, we have used this power to journey literally to the stars and reach back through telescopes to see the origin of the universe.

Being both spirit and matter, man is an intermediary between these two great principles. He is greater than beings who are merely mortal, and above those who are purely immortal.

He shares in the creative power of God. He even, with his mind, creates gods in his own human image. Hermes concludes that man is a marvel, worthy of wonder and reverence — a sentiment that fuelled the humanism of the Renaissance.

The purpose of human life is to rise above our merely human nature and awaken our divine nature. Human beings have the unique potential to know God, and God's greatest wish is that we fulfill this potential.

MAN IS A MARVEL

Atum is first,
the Cosmos is second,
and man is third.

Atum is One,
the Cosmos is One,
and so is man —
for like the Cosmos
he is a whole made up
of different diverse parts.

The Maker made man
to govern with him,
and if man accepts this function fully,
he becomes a vehicle
of order in the Cosmos.

Man may know himself,
and so know the Cosmos,
by being aware
that he is an image of Atum
and of the Cosmos.

He differs from other living things
in that he possesses Mind.
Through Mind he may commune
with the Cosmos, which is the second god —
and by thought he may come to Knowledge
of Atum the One-God.

The human body encloses pure Mind,
as if within a walled garden,
which shelters and secludes it,
so that it may live in peace.
Man has this two-fold nature —
in his body he is mortal,
and in his intelligence he is immortal.
He is exalted above heaven,
but is born a slave to Destiny.

He is bisexual,
as his Father is bisexual.
He is sleepless,
as his Father is sleepless.
Yet he is dominated by carnal desires
and lost in forgetfulness.
Of all beings that have Soul,
only man has a two-fold nature.

One part, called The Image of Atum',
is single, undivided, spiritual and eternal.
The other part
is made of the four material elements.
One comes from the Primal Mind.
It has the power of the Creator,
and is able to know Atum.
The other is put in man
by the revolution of the heavens.

Man is the most divine of all beings,
for amongst all living things,
Atum associates with him only —
speaking to him in dreams at night,
foretelling the future for him
in the flight of birds,
the bowels of beasts
and the whispering oak.

All other living things
inhabit only one part of the Cosmos —
fishes in water,
animals on the earth,
birds in the air.
Man penetrates all of these elements.
With his sense of sight,
he even grasps the heavens.

To speak without fear,
human beings are above the gods of heaven,
or at least their equal —
for the gods will never pass
their celestial boundaries
and descend to Earth,
but a man may ascend to heaven,
and what is more,
he may do so without leaving the Earth,
so vast an expanse
can his power encompass?

By Atum's will,
humankind is compacted,
of both divinity and mortality.
He is more than merely mortal,
and greater than the purely immortal.

Man is a marvel,
due honour and reverence.
He takes on the attributes of the gods,
as if he were one of their number.
He is familiar with the gods,
because he knows he springs
from the same source.
He raises reverent eyes to heaven above,
and tends the Earth below.

He is blessed by being the intermediary.
He loves all below him,
and is loved by all above him.
Confident of his divinity,
he throws off his solely human nature.
He has access to all.
His keenness of thought
descends to the depths of the sea.

Heaven is not too high
for the reach of his wisdom.
His quick wits penetrate the elements.
Air cannot blind his mental vision
with its thickest fog.
Dense earth cannot impede him.
Deep water cannot blur his gaze.
Man is all things.
Man is everywhere.

Man not only receives the Light of divine Life,
but gives it as well.
He not only ascends to God,
but even creates gods.
Just as Atum has willed
that the inner man
be created in his likeness,
so we on Earth create the gods
in our human image.

Is this not worthy of wonder?

There are then these three —
Atum, Cosmos, man.
The Cosmos is contained by Atum.
Man is contained by the Cosmos.
The Cosmos is the son of Atum.
Man is the son of the Cosmos,
and the grandson, so to speak, of Atum.

Atum does not ignore man,
but acknowledges him fully,
as he wishes to be fully acknowledged by man,
for this alone is man's purpose and salvation —
the ascent to heaven
and the Knowledge of Atum.